Simple Spaghetti

We eat our share of spaghetti at our house. I love making meat sauce, the real deal, with ground beef. My oldest, like many kids, often requests butter and parmesan for his noodles. In an effort to mix it up, and to find a good use for those jewels of cherry tomatoes, I'm making a simple spaghetti surely to satisfy the entire family.

Simple Spaghetti

Box of spaghetti (I love Whole Foods' organic)

Carton of cherry tomatoes (hard to pass up at the local farmers market)

1-2 gloves garlic (minced)

1-2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Fresh basil (roughly chopped/torn)

Freshly grated parmesan (to taste)

Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Prepare spaghetti according to directions on the box. In a large frypan, on low-medium heat add butter, EVOO, garlic, and red pepper flakes (optional) until garlic starts to sizzle. Do not brown garlic (reduce heat if needed). Add tomatoes and cook on low heat until the tomatoes start to blister. When pasta is al dente, drain (but don't overdo it, leaving some pasta water so the noodles don't get too dry) and transfer to large frypan. Toss spaghetti to cover with sauce. Add freshly grated parmesan, salt and pepper (to taste), and basil. Enjoy!